Secession Redux: Lessons for the EU

A one-day conference

8:30 AM - 6:30 PM

Several EU states and EU candidates face secessionist movements, violent or otherwise. It is vital and timely, therefore, to assess the lessons learned from recent US and EU policy on unilateral secession in two countries: the former Yugoslavia and Georgia. In 2008, the US and a large majority of EU states recognized the independence of Kosovo from Serbia. Later that year, Russia and a small handful of allies, but not the US or any EU states, recognized the independence of South Ossetia and Abkhazia from Georgia. In both cases, most of the international community did not recognize the unilateral secessions, resulting in ambiguous sovereignty that inhibits regional integration, economic growth, and stability. These events also raise dangerous precedents for ongoing secessionist conflicts in EU states, including Spain, and potential EU candidates, including Moldova.